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BRUSSELS, December 8, 2011 (AFP) - The prime minister of Denmark, whose country is not part of the struggling eurozone, said Thursday she hoped the 27 nations of the European Union would club together during its worst ever economic crisis.

Speaking to reporters as she arrived for a crunch summit dubbed the last chance to save the euro, Helle Thorning-Schmidt said: "It is very important that we keep the 27 together."

"This is what has worked in other times of crisis for Europe and that is what we are hoping will work now as well," said Thorning-Schmidt, who only came to power in September at the head of one of Europe's few centre-left governments.

She also stressed that Denmark was "open to treaty change if that is seen as part of the solution", as Germany and France press for the EU texts to be re-opened to enshrine greater fiscal discipline within the eurozone.

Denmark and Britain are the only two of the 27 EU countries to have negotiated an opt-out from joining the euro.

Technically, the other eight are required to adopt the euro, but joining the debt-mired zone has been effectively ruled out in Sweden and is a long way off in countries such as Poland and the Czech Republic.